WAVE VELOCITY FIELD MEASUREMENTS OVER A SUBMERGED BREAKWATER

Abstract

The main focus of the experiment was to observe and measure large-scale vortices generated by breaking waves over a submerged breakwater. These flow structures are important in sediment transport due to their ability to trap sediment particles negating their normal settling velocity. The technique of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure the spatial distribution of velocities at an instant; an approach which is essential for measuring coherent structures in the flow. Experiments were conducted in the 50m flume at The University of Florence which was fitted with a 1:100 beach, wave elevations, as well as velocity fields, were measured. The paper deals with the experimental details and a display of the velocity and vorticity maps obtained using PIV.